Tattoo
by NavyBlueWings
Summary: All Uzumaki Naruto wanted when he entered the ink shop was to show his rival/best friend/something else Uchiha Sasuke up. But one tattoo changed their entire fight. SasuNaru, two-shot, Naruto POV. M for Lemon, you have been warned
1. Tattoo

**Hello! As some as you know, this is one of the one-shots that was a part of a poll in my profile. EXCEPT, (after fighting with my beta Rachel about it for like ten minutes) I have decided to break it up! So it's a two-shot…haha come on, you all knew I couldn't do two one-shots in a row. ANYWAYS, there will be another poll coming up soon, so be on the lookout for that! I know I wasn't sure which boy was going to lead in this one, but I'm pretty sure this will be a SasuNaru. But don't worry for those who are waiting on a NaruSasu, it'll be coming up soon. I promise!  
**

**Rachel: No idea what Niki is talking about, I DID NOT GIVE UP THAT EASY. It was more like four hours.**

**Warning: ****There will be se--….intimate relationship…-snickers- with Sasuke and Naruto**

**Disclaimer: ****GO RED SOX! WHOO—watches lead disappear—…-whines- I don't own Naruto…friggen Red Sox…**

**Tattoo **

Summer meant a lot of things to me after graduation. There were parties every weekend the entire month of June. The sun stayed out later, which meant my skin darkened considerably from all of the beach trips with the gang. Working at my dad's rundown bowling alley at night let me reclaim my title as the second best sleeper in Konoha (aside from Shikamaru, of course). Money seemed infinite, and nothing was too expensive to buy. Summer after graduation was freedom for Uzumaki Naruto. Pure, sweet freedom.

It wasn't just me who switched during the seasons, though. Haruno Sakura had completely changed her closet to 'summer mode' which consisted of flip flops and sundresses. Yamanaka Ino had started getting her annual summer luau ready, which was always the best party of the season. Nara Shikamaru had Akimichi Chouji help set up his hammock, which he had dozed off in more days than not while Chouji ate in a lawn chair next to him. Inuzuka Kiba had spent most of his time trying to woo the shy Hyuuga Hinata into a summer romance while avoiding her father and cousin. Said cousin named Hyuuga Neji, accompanied by his best friend Rock Lee, spent much of their summer training at their mentor's karate dojo or, at least Lee's mentor. I didn't see Aburame Shino much, since he had spent most of his summer researching exotic bugs with his father in the Amazon. Tenten was scarce as well, working at an internship at the dance studio.

And then there was _him_. Uchiha Sasuke was a thorn in my side, my best friend and…something else…since eighth grade. Like normal rivals, we fought over everything. Sports, talents, hobbies, school. Anything that could be made into a competition became a contest to see which one could outdo the other. He pushed me to study to match his intelligence while I made him practice his free throws to compete with my athletic edge. Nothing was safe when it came to our constant competition.

Like best friends, we were always there to back each other up if anyone else tried to mess with us. When Sasuke was getting picked on for being so scrawny at the end of freshman year, I ended up getting suspended for punching out the other kid's tooth. I was bigger than Sasuke until the middle of junior year, when genetics screwed me over and left me at a measly 5'6 while Sasuke shot up to 5'8. It was his turn to have my back. Normally, he preferred verbal embarrassment over physical violence. I didn't expect him to get into the middle of a fight—well, more like a beating— that I had been forced into by a group of wanna-be thugs. And when he did, I still didn't believe it. It wasn't until he helped me limp home, one arm secured around my waist that I realized our friendship meant something to Sasuke, too.

It was the same night I realized there was something _else _between us. After Sasuke had helped me home, he didn't bother asking if he could stay the night. Half of the time, my parents expected him and made dinner for four instead of three. Hell, he had his own toothbrush and deodorant stored away in our medicine cabinet. An entire drawer of my bureau was filled with clothes of his that he had left. And that night was no different. He had helped me get up my stairs and stumble into my bathroom, where he left me to wash out the battle wounds I had gotten during the scuffle. By the time I had gotten back to my room, Sasuke had retrieved the medical kit that I kept in my room. Like any other time, Sasuke watched me try to bandage myself up. Once I got to everything I could get to without hurting myself even more, Sasuke would mutter some type of insult and then take over, both of us fighting the entire time.

But this was where the familiarity ended. It was one touch, one simple brush of Sasuke's fingertips against my right shoulder blade that altered everything. I shouldn't have been affected by the accidental contact. My body wasn't supposed to shutter and suddenly become aware of how close Sasuke sat behind me. And most importantly, my cock wasn't supposed to twitch from stirring arousal. But the teasing way Sasuke's pale digits rolled down my sensitive skin affected me in a way that had my eyes wide and my breath hitching. Whoever was talking stopped, and an unusual silence fell between us. His fingers stilled, but never pulled away from my skin. He didn't have to speak to tell me he had felt my reaction from our minor contact. So when my dad called us down for dinner, I scrambled away from him and rushed as fast as my bruised legs would let me out of the room.

That was two months before we graduated. We both didn't mention the night again, but it altered the way I saw Sasuke. I still got angry at the bastard, and we didn't stop fighting. And as long as he kept his distance from me, I was able to act like nothing was wrong with me. But when we'd be close, or any of our skin touched, the same reactions would bubble up in my body. And it didn't take a genius to realize that it wasn't a coincidence that it only happened around Sasuke. Despite every part of me that wanted to deny any feelings toward the dark haired bastard, I couldn't.

And when the proof literally materialized the day of Ino's luau, I was not ready for it.

"Why does this always happen to me?!" I nearly ripped my hair out of my head as I stared at the back of my shoulder through Ino's mirror. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the intricate ink work that covered the skin there, looking good considering the embarrassment it was causing me. I hissed when I pressed my fingers too close to the abused skin, which was still tender from the work.

"Explanation, dobe. Now." I tried to glare at Sasuke through the mirror, but he was much better at it. Plus, I wasn't sure my blush was quite as intimidating as I wanted it to be.

"I don't know! It's not like I wanted it!" I turned sharply to look back at him, hitting back against the dresser under the mirror when he walked toward me. Pressing too close to be considered 'friendly', he stared down at me with a predatory aura surrounding him. It made me shiver in places I knew weren't right.

"It didn't appear from thin air."

"No shit!" I snapped, completely frustrated at the situation. The heat of Sasuke's bare chest so close to mine made the air around us even more humid which I wouldn't have thought possible until the stupid teme proved me wrong. He seemed to do that a lot more than I wanted to admit. We stared at each other in silence, the loud music from Ino's backyard drifting into the opened door of the hallway. Though the room was dark from the lack of lighting, the tiki torches near the back door gave off enough glow to light up the bastard's pale face.

"Then explain to me _why _it's there." Despite his attempt to keep his voice level, I could see the restraint starting to snap in his features. Not sure what he was holding back, I avoided his gaze while I let out an annoyed breath.

"I wanted it…but not _this_. That stupid prick screwed it up! This is all Sai's fault." And while I felt Sasuke's heavy glare rest over my shoulder and through the mirror to look at the ink work, I let my thoughts wander to the beginning of this entire mess. It was Sasuke's fault, anyways; his and Sai's, the guy who soon wouldn't be breathing. How two people who had barely met could ruin my life so fast I couldn't understand, but if I wanted to try, I'd have to rewind.

***

It was middle of July when Ino announced her party was going to be in exactly one week. I stared with the rest of the group while Ino passed out envelopes to everyone at the table. I seemed like the only one actually excited to get my invitation, while Shikamaru barely glanced at the envelope in front of him. Chouji was too busy eating the appetizer to get excited over a flimsy card. Neji and Hinata both politely took theirs, while Kiba didn't bother to look at it before shoving it into his pocket. It wasn't until she lazily tossed her last invitation to her best friend that the pink haired girl spoke.

"Why do you bother with invitations? You could have just sent out emails or something you know."

"I would, except I know some people wouldn't waste their 'energy' checking their mail." Ino sent a meaningful glare at Shika, who shrugged it off while sipping his soda.

"Too troublesome."

"There's a shocker," Sakura said, shaking her head while both Ino and I laughed.

"Know what else is shocking? Anti-social Uchiha ain't here." I rolled my eyes at Kiba's sarcastic remark before answering.

"He's got some shit to take care of. He should be here any minute now. Don't worry about ordering for him, he'll probably just try to eat off my plate, the teme. Ah, damn. I'm out of soda. Now where the heck is our waitress with our food?" I looked up from my ice-filled cup, slowly blinking at the odd stares that I got. "What?"

"Sometimes it's creepy how much you two know about each other."

"Chouji, if you're going to talk, at least finish chewing the food in your mouth!" Ino chided, sending the larger boy a warning look before turning her focus back on me. "Though I hate to admit it…Chouji is right."

"What the hell are you yapping about? Me and Sasuke aren't creepy, we're best friends. It's normal to know shit like that," I said, trying to brush off their comments by bringing the rim of my glass up to my lips. Like I really needed to be reminded that me and Sasuke's association was a little different than friendship.

"So are Sakura and I, but that doesn't mean I'm up her ass all the time." I choked on an ice-cube that fell into my mouth from Ino's comment. Instantly I coughed, feeling a soft hand rub against my back in concern.

"Naruto! Are you okay?" I nodded at Sakura, who sent me a smile before looking back to Ino. "They're not that bad, Ino. Sasuke and Naruto just spend more time together than we do. Plus, they've been best friends for almost as long as we have, and they didn't hate each other for two years."

"Well yeah, that's true." Ino sighed, as if remembering the dark time of her and Sakura's friendship during sophomore and junior year. It was stupid really, fighting over a guy that didn't like either of them (then again, Sasuke never really showed interest in _any _of the girls at our school). Ino felt betrayed when Sakura started to like the same boy she did, and it almost completely destroyed their friendship. But after seeing Sakura get humiliated by her date at the junior prom, Ino poured her glass of soda onto his head and turned the attention onto him while pulling Sakura away from the crowd. And somewhere between make-up reconstruction and the last song of the dance, Sakura and Ino mended their friendship. And now, both were much happier than any guy could have made them.

"It's a good thing you two made up, Ino. I don't think I could have handled listening to Sakura complain about you for one more day." I grinned over to Sakura, who used the hand on my back to hit me.

"I wasn't complaining!" But her blush gave it away as the table laughed. I was so pre-occupied by Sakura's pout that I almost missed Kiba's low whistle. I looked over to him, and then brought my gaze toward the area he was looking at while he spoke.

"Jesus Sasuke, what'd you do to yourself? Get into a necking fight with a vacuum and lose?" I stared quietly at the pale guy who walked toward our table, automatically knowing what Kiba was talking about. There, resting comfortably against Sasuke's neck was a large bandage that had not been there the night before. Just what type of stuff did Sasuke have to do anyways? By the way he was walking I knew that he wasn't too injured. In fact, it seemed that his neck was the only spot that was damaged.

"Nothing." He seemed to realize almost nobody believed him, which caused him to snort and glare. "Stop staring at me."

"So Itachi gave you your graduation present." I blinked slowly as I looked over to Neji, who seemed as composed as normal. But when I squinted my eyes, I could see the sides of his mouth were quirked up slightly while he looked to the bandage. "How long did it take?"

"Two hours." When Sasuke answered, I suddenly got offended.

"Whoa wait a second. Why the hell does Neji get to know what you did? We're supposed to be best friends bastard!" Alright, maybe not the best way to prove our friendship.

"I don't need to tell you everything." I knew I glared, which Sasuke ignored.

"Guess we were wrong, you really don't know everything about him," Kiba said, smirking when I flicked an ice cube at him. He avoided it, which only added to my anger.

"Will you two stop that?" Ino sent us both firm looks, like a teacher would to two mischievous kids. Once I slumped back in my chair to mutter to myself, Ino decided to pry deeper into the mystery bandage. "You know…I think I know what type of present Itachi got you."

"Hn."

"Yup." As if none of us were staring at the blonde, Ino casually swirled her straw in her strawberry milkshake. Finally she lifted her gaze back at the group, a wide grin on her face. "Did I ever tell you guys what my dad used to do before he became a weapons specialist?"

"Uh…a ninja assassin?" At the strange faces, I rolled my eyes. "What? Have you ever seen her dad? He's pretty scary."

"Sometimes I wonder if you were born brain dead, or if it occurred during your childhood." I growled at Neji, who seemed satisfied with his insult. Before I could make a comeback, Sakura quickly cut in.

"Didn't he work as a tattoo specialist after high school? He used it to pay for his katana collection." Ino nodded quickly, and from the corner of my eye I saw a small tension form in Sasuke's shoulders. What was his problem? "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, my dad used to tell me all of these infection stories when I was little because he never wanted me to get a tattoo. And every time, he would talk about the steps that the person ignored that caused it to mess up. Most of the stories revolved around the very first step. You see, when you get a tattoo, you have to put some type of ointment and a bandage over the inked area for about two hours. Some tattoo artists, like my dad, will bandage it up for you. There isn't a specific type of bandage they use, but most will just buy a normal large gauze bandage depending on the size. Just like the one on Sasuke's neck."

After Ino finished her explanation, the table went silent. I stared at Sasuke in pure shock, not able to believe the theory even when it processed through my head. Sasuke didn't look at anyone, simply staring in front of him with an all too telling scowl across his lips. But saying that Sasuke, the most straight-edged one out of our group (besides Hinata of course), would get a tattoo seemed impossible. So when Sasuke didn't confirm or disagree, I quickly spoke.

"Did you get a friggen tattoo?!" He shot a look over at me, and I already knew what was coming next.

"Keep your voice down."

"Did or did you not get a tattoo?" It seemed like the thousandth eye lock we had gone through, but it lasted much shorter than normal before Neji spoke.

"In such an obvious spot, it will be difficult to hide. Unless you plan to wear turtlenecks the rest of your life." Sasuke narrowed his eyes on me, though I knew it was from Neji's flat humor. Slowly the bastard turned back to the table, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding. Instantly, a set of squeals shot from Ino and Sakura's mouth, while the rest of the table seemed to instantly perk in interest.

"A real tattoo? That's so cool. Let us see it Sasuke-kun!" Sakura's eyes lit up in excitement as she continued to glance at the bandage that hid away the new subject of conversation.

"I can't take it off for another half hour." He almost sounded like he was reprimanding her instead of responding. Ino scoffed at how neatly Sasuke followed the rules before she leaned her head in her hand.

"It won't hurt to just show us it for a minute. Just peel off the top of the bandage and then press it back on afterwards. Dad said that as long as you don't leave it exposed for too long, you don't have to worry. Plus, the last half hour is more of an insurance than anything else, especially since yours is so small."

"I never thought someone so straight edged like you would get a tattoo Uchiha. I'm way impressed." The scowl on Sasuke's face showed he didn't care what Kiba thought of him or his tattoo. In fact, by the way he continued to casually glance back at me while the others continued to chatter about the tattoo, it was almost like he only cared about my response. From the wide eyed, open mouth look I was sporting, I knew the smirk was not a mere coincidence.

"What's the matter dobe? Cat got your tongue?" I snapped out of my daze to focus on Sasuke's mocking.

"No! Just wondering what the hell would possess you to get a tattoo."

"You should clean your ears out, Naruto. Neji already said that Itachi got it for him." I ignored Chouji while I glanced at the bandage, trying to see through the tan material to see what lay underneath it.

"What, was it a bet or something?"

"No." I waited for him to explain why he had actually allowed Itachi to convince him to get the tattoo, but Sasuke didn't speak again. Not wanting to seem too interested in his reasoning, I grinned in a way I knew irritated Sasuke.

"Never thought someone like you would get for a tattoo."

"Hn."

"It's probably girly." He scoffed at my guess, and immediately started to peel off the top of his bandage even as he denied my claim.

"I would not waste my time on something girlish." And once the sticky top of the bandage was pulled back from his skin, Sasuke tilted his head to the side to give me better access to his neck. I hesitated for a moment, swallowing to clear my suddenly dry throat when I realized how close I'd have to get to see into the bandage. I didn't meet Sasuke's eyes, knowing they were watching me challengingly. Instead, I held my breath while I leaned against his arm rest. My cheek barely brushed the side of his jaw as I looked down at the small tattoo that peeked out from the dressing. I ignored the slight shiver that swam straight toward my groin. The tattoo was completely black, with three swirling tear-drop looking shapes forming a triangle. It was simple, which surprisingly threw me off. Somehow, I expected something bigger or more intricate. But the quiet design worked against Sasuke's pale skin well, making it almost look like a part of his skin instead of a mere tattoo.

"Shit Sasuke, you really…" I slowly looked up at him, easily catching his gaze. Really it would have been impossible to ignore, since he was staring at me. To gauge my reaction or for his own reasons, I wasn't sure. I had to steady myself with a hand on his armrest, which brushed the pale skin of his forearm. At the accidental brush he glared at me, which made me realize just how close to him I was. Jumping slightly, I jerked back away from him and immediately darted my gaze to the empty drink in front of me. I spent the rest of the night popping the melted ice cubes into my mouth, trying to help cool down my cheeks. Most of the group was too caught up in seeing Sasuke's tattoo, which became the topic throughout the rest of the night, to notice.

"You sure lost interest in Sasuke's tattoo pretty fast Monday night," But apparently not everyone was oblivious. I glanced up slowly from the scorecard to look at Shika, who was stretched out on the bench next to me.

"Who cares if Sasuke got a tattoo?" I said, scoffing to try and emphasis my lack of concern. At the sound of pins crashing down, I looked up to see that Chouji had finished his string with three still standing. I couldn't help but grin.

"You know, even after all of these years, you still haven't gotten any better."

"It's not like I spend every day here. Besides, I'm not motivated to try," Chouji replied, switching spots with me while I moved in front of the lane.

"You would if I strapped Hershey bars onto the pins. Then again, you might gnaw through the pins and we barely have enough to play with as it is." I snickered when I heard the feminine voice move closer, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Ino with her hands on both of her hips.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

"Well, I was going to paint a picture of the complex pattern of the ten pins in front of me, but I found a pretty orange ball resting here and I decided to smash them instead." She didn't find as much humor in my comment as the guys. I got a roll of the eyes and squeaks moving over toward the shoe rack.

"You're supposed to be leaving room for paying customers, not taking up their space."

"…_What _paying customers? The entire place is empty!" I turned back to my lane, tossing my first ball down and watching nine of the pins meet their ultimate doom. I swore slightly before turning on my heels to grab another ball while the automatic sensor cleaned up my deadwood.

"You really should charge Chouji and Shikamaru. It's not like they're scraping pennies right now. In fact, one of them got a full scholarship to their school, so they don't have to worry about college debts."

"Hey, don't be like that. He's told you several times you don't have to pay," Chouji said, and I didn't have to look back to know who was dropping the change onto the front counter. I picked off the last pin, fist pumping once before moving to accompany Ino on the other bench. I slid my arm along the top of the bench and behind Ino, who was tying her bowling shoes up.

"Make sure to add Ino's name after yours, Chouji. You're up Shika." As if the weight of the world fell on his shoulders, Shikamaru took his sweet time getting off of the bench. Ino huffed at the lethargic boy before leaning back against my arm.

"You are the laziest boy I have ever met, Shikamaru." He waved her off, which didn't stop her from crossing her arms. "If you plan on getting out this sleepy town, you better get your priorities in order."

"Sorry, I'll act more like Uchiha." The sarcasm bled from Shika's voice while he dragged his fingers along an emerald green ball resting in the landing zone. I could see the look in Ino's features turn from irritation to guilt.

"That's not what I meant." Shika didn't respond, and I mentally sighed. Sakura wasn't the only one that had been affected by Ino's quite open affection of Sasuke during high school. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino had all literally grown up with each other. Their dads had been best friends in high school, and passed the tradition down to their children. The only difference was that Ino wasn't a boy. And so, naturally, feelings became deeper and intertwined between Shikamaru and Ino. Chouji once told me that it had started all the way back in first grade. I didn't know if that was true or not, because the town's kids were split into two different elementary schools depending on what side of town they lived on, and then merged for middle and high school. I, unfortunately, lived away from everyone else. According to the only witness, Ino had bought Shikamaru a special box of chocolate for Valentine's Day. In return, Shikamaru started to walk Ino home, even though both his and Chouji's house came before hers. That tradition, I knew, continued into middle school where I had met them. And really, it had seemed like a match made by fate. Unfortunately, fate didn't take Shikamaru's lazy tendencies into account. Ino got upset easily, which only made the situation worse between the two.

So when Sasuke showed up the first day of eighth grade, Ino was smitten. Unlike most of us, Sasuke had been in a private school for most of his school life. But when Itachi showed interest in going into a public high school, his mother suggested Sasuke follow. While it was the same year I found my best friend, it caused a strange energy with Ino and Shikamaru. The jealousy was quiet, and Shikamaru never acted on it. Maybe if he had, Ino would have realized she only liked Sasuke because she _wanted _some type of reaction from her best friend. Even after Ino got over her obsession with Sasuke, Shikamaru didn't seem to care for him. Several times, I knew that Shika made sure to keep on the opposite side of any event Sasuke was at. The two were extremely different, only sharing their intelligence. But even that was used for different future goals.

For some reason everyone, especially Ino, considered Sasuke's planning smart and mature. I thought it was stupid. Sasuke planned out his future job, salary, home location, and everything else materialistic. And what did Shikamaru plan? Shikamaru's goal was the same one he had created while munching on a special box of chocolates one Valentine's Day.

All he planned out was the girl. He just hadn't told her yet.

"Just what we need. Another tattoo covered monkey boy." Ino relaxed into a set of laughter and hit my side gently, which made me grin. I liked seeing Ino happy, because it rubbed off on everyone around her. As if checking my own observation, I glanced over at the lane to see a relaxed look on the lazy boy's face a second before he turned back to bowl.

"The tattoo is kind of cool though, don't you think? I'm thinking I might get one soon."

"Like your dad would let you! And let's not compliment the bastard, or it'll go straight to his head." I groaned just at the thought of his cocky smirk. Really, he needed a new set of facial expressions.

"I don't know, Naruto. You sure seemed to like it at the dinner table." I borrowed one of Sasuke's glares and sent it at Chouji, who replied with a nervous smile before moving toward the lane.

"I was not interested in it! It was stupid and pointless! That stupid teme, acting like he's so great because he got some stupid tattoo over his stupid neck." I know I sounded childish, and it was only emphasized when I felt my cheeks puff out in anger. I felt a gentle pat on my shoulder while Ino rested her head against my shoulder.

"Aw, don't be upset Naruto. I'm sure if you wanted to, you'd be able to pull off a tattoo too." Both she and Chouji laughed while Shikamaru rolled his eyes and flopped down on his designated sleep bench. And somewhere in the back of my head, I knew that she was kidding. But slowly, as I continued to flip the idea over in my head through the rest of the night, it started to sound better and better. Getting the tattoo wouldn't be hard. All I had to do was get dad to sign some stupid permission slip. I'd probably have to do it without mom knowing, since she has an issue with needles. Finding out her only son was going to be pricked several times with a needle was not something she would think fondly of. But really, dad owed me from the time I took the fall for the broken vase _he _hit with the football in the house.

Yeah, my dad wasn't exactly parent of the year.

The real problem came with finding someone good enough to do my tattoo without messing it up. The last thing I needed was some guy making my design looking completely different than I imagined. I needed someone with precision as well as art skills.

"Hey, Ino?" She looked up from the ground, pausing in tying her sneakers to watch me fidget. "Say you were going to really get that tattoo. Who would you ask to do it?"

"Maybe my father, just to see his expression." She stood up after finishing with her shoe, dusting her skirt with her hands. "But, if I really was going to go through with it, I'd probably ask my friend Sai. He's got his own shop in town next to the liquor store. He graduated last year and inherited the store from a relative. I've seen a bunch of his work, and he's really good. He can take a tattoo and make slight changes based on the person to better fit them. Sometimes he even picks out the design for them if they're not sure what they want. He's got a talent."

"Really? How much do you think he charges?" Before Ino could reply, Shikamaru tossed his shoes onto the shoe rack and glanced back at me.

"You're turning this into a competition with Uchiha, huh?" I grumbled about 'nosy geniuses' before I crossed my arms.

"Maybe I just wanted a tattoo! You never thought of that, did ya?"

"Eh, I guess." Knowing it'd take too much energy to fight with me, Shika slid his gaze over to Ino. "Dad drop you off?"

"Car's still in the shop," She said, sighing to show her irritation. Silently I laughed, because I knew if I said anything out loud she would kill me. Ino had bought a car last year, which had caused her nothing but problems. She spent more time out of it than in it.

"Chouji drove me." He slid his hands into his pockets and glanced away from her and up at the old ceiling. I knew exactly what he was waiting for. Chouji had already left ten minutes ago.

"Wanna walk home again?" Even though he got the response he wanted, Shikamaru lazily shrugged his shoulders and acted like the question was more of a burden than anything else. Still, he waited for her to grab her purse and say goodbye to me before the two of them left. Through the windows in the front of the bowling alley, I could see Ino chattering away while Shikamaru simply stared up at the sky. But there was no denying that it was exactly how Shikamaru wanted his night to end. I smiled to myself before I started to close up. I should have locked the front doors first, because I felt my eye twitch at the smooth voice that entered the desolate air.

"And here I thought you exploded if left alone for too long."

"You know, you should tell that one at parties," I said sarcastically, turning to face him. I glanced to his tattoo, which seemed to practically glow against his pale skin.

"People bother me enough at social gatherings." His confidence amazed me. Scoffing, I walked over to him, though made it look like I was focused on fixing the candy shelves. Once I finished the whopping three seconds of rearranging, I turned to lean on the counter that separated us.

"Did you come here for a reason, or did you just miss me?" I teased, grinning up at his scowl. He held up a plastic bag and dropped it on the counter.

"Your mother let my mother borrow some Tupperware containers a little while ago. I was sent to return them."

"And you didn't go to my house…why?"

"Because I saw your car and decided to save time. Though it may be a mistake to entrust you with anything." I snatched the bag away from him, sending him a glare before dropping it under the counter. By the time I looked up, Sasuke was now staring at the only lit ally in the place.

"I didn't forget about it, if that's what you're thinking. I was just gonna bowl another string before I left, not that I need an explanation."

"I didn't ask for one." I watched him casually walk toward the alley, not bothering to even waste a minute to look over at the shoe rack. Instead, he calmly stepped into the ally and took one of the bowling balls I had left for myself. He stood silently before he glanced back at me and raised an eyebrow in an unspoken challenge. I hopped over the counter quickly, immediately agreeing to a bowling match. And we spent almost an hour bowling, both taking the lead at some point during our games. We'd send smirks or insults to make the other one push harder to regain the lead. And finally, when the night crept up on us, we both sat in front of the lane with our backs against each other. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the warmth that was seeping into my back from the quiet touch.

"I'm getting a tattoo." Why I bothered to tell him, I wasn't sure. I could feel him shift against my back slowly before responding.

"Hn."

"It's gonna look better than yours, I bet." I opened my eyes slowly to look out the windows in front of me, watching the cars pass by. Headlights bounced off of the glass, creating momentary shadows in the bowling alley.

"You don't know for once? How modest of you, dobe." I blushed when I felt his neck casually brush the back of my head, but I didn't move.

"It's gonna be way better than yours teme! You watch, I'll show you at Ino's party." He scoffed, and slowly I turned my head to glance back at him. It was hard to see his face from the angle I was at, but the tattoo rested right in front of me. For a moment I couldn't help but wonder what it'd feel like to touch it. Tattoos had fascinated me since my dad had gotten my mother's name along his heart four years ago. I had wanted to wait until I was legally old enough to get one, since mom had literally passed out after dad showed it to her on their 20th anniversary. But now that I had set a date for my tattoo to get done, I knew I couldn't put it off.

"I'll pretend to care." When he spoke, I could barely see his tattoo move in beat with his pulse.

"Yeah…" So distracted by the ink spot, I didn't notice until I felt his breath on my cheeks that Sasuke had turned his head to face mine. Feeling the breeze I looked up, my eyes widening when our noses brushed quietly against each other. I parted my lips to say something, but I soon realized that thinking of something to say came before that particular action. It was my room all over again, the rippling of nerves and arousal starting to fill my stomach. As emotionless as normal, Sasuke stared down at me while I raced through things to do or say. So when he barely leaned closer, I decided Sasuke could make the next move. My breath hitched and I slammed my eyes shut to keep myself from revealing the embarrassment I was feeling. I could hear another car pass, their headlights probably illuminating my blush. But it wasn't like it mattered. I mean, it wasn't like he'd actually _do _anything. He was my rival, my best friend!

"Hn." I was still disappointed when I felt him pull away. I opened my gaze, but Sasuke was already up on his feet before I even had time to tell him to wait. My neck felt strained from the position I had kept it in, and I rubbed the tender muscles in my neck while I watched him casually push open the door. When he stopped to look back at me, I blinked once at the confident smirk he sent me. "Impress me, dobe."

"I…I will, teme!" I tried to fall back into my cocky attitude and act like none of the previous intimacy affected me. He rolled his eyes and left the bowling alley silently, and I waited until he drove out of the parking lot to smack my forehead. I didn't know what was worse; the fact I promised to get a tattoo in three days, or the fact I had acted like a hormonal teenage girl as soon as he got close to me. Deciding that was a debate best left alone, I finished closing up the store before driving home. It wasn't until I saw my mother cooking in the kitchen that I remembered the Tupperware I left sitting under the counter. Sasuke had been right.

"Shit!" at the exclamation my mother looked up and waved a wooden spoon in my direction.

"Naruto! What did I say about your mouth?" Sending her the best apologetic smile, I sniffed the air before letting out a relaxed sigh.

"Did I mention how much I love your cooking?" Because really, I did. Whenever mom wasn't home, dad played 'menu roulette' and ordered food from the winner. Sometimes it was better when they both weren't home; giving me to opportunity to see how many cups of ramen I could eat in one sitting. My record was seven.

"Compliments will get you nowhere. Your beautiful mother can see through any mode of brown nosing. She's far too intelligent to fall for childish tricks, right darling?" I frowned when a large hand came down on my head, ruffling my hair until it frizzed. Once dad felt accomplished, he moved to stand behind mom. I could see the content smile on her face when my dad wrapped his arms around her waist, gently swaying both of them to an imaginary song in his head. Despite the scrunched nose I made, a part of me wanted to smile. Twenty four years into their relationship and they still acted like newlyweds.

"Mmm, yes dear." There was a moment of silence before my mother's smile turned into a grin that could mirror my own. "You broke the washer again, didn't you?"

"Now why would you assume that?" If she could have seen his panicked face behind that innocent voice, she would have laughed as much as I wanted to.

"Because I can smell the laundry detergent on your skin, and you're not wearing the same clothes that you went into the basement with. I put the rest of the puzzle together on my own from the last two times you've tried to 'fix' the washing machine." Coyly she glanced over her shoulder, completely satisfied with outwitting my dad. Again. "I've already called the mechanic to come fix it tomorrow morning."

"I meant it when I said you were too smart." He laughed while scratching the back of his head, his eyes glowing in admiration.

"And you can't seem to keep your fingers out of anything." On cue, she smacked the top of his hand before he had a chance to snatch any of the cooling chicken. "Now go sit at the table like a good boy before I feed your dinner to the neighbor's dogs."

"I love you too, Kushina." Completely unfazed by her weak threat, dad kissed her quietly before humming his way over to the set up dinner table. I rolled my eyes and sat down in my own seat while sighing. I didn't understand how it was possible that two strong personalities like my parents could end up together. Then again, wasn't I the one who couldn't ignore Sasuke's accidental touches? We were like night and day, and yet I couldn't seem to keep my mind off of him. Maybe if mom could deal with dad, she could help me understand my own problem.

"Mom, why did you pick dad?"

"And why do you want to know that?" Trying to keep my underlying purpose secret, I shrugged.

"Just wondering why you'd bother with him."

"Hey, I take offence to that," My dad, despite his age and 'maturity' whined. I could tell my mom had to keep herself from laughing while she looked back at me and smiled.

"First of all, your father pursued me."

"I was quite a glutton for punishment back then. Your mother threw the best right hook of anybody in our high school." As if reliving the memory, dad gently rubbed the side of his cheek with a lopsided smile on his face.

"I still do." Despite how pretty my mom was, she had never been one to let people push her around. She especially hated when people mistook her for weak because of her sex. She could cook, clean, and kick anyone's ass with the several years of karate training my grandfather taught her. Several times my dad had told me bedtime stories of the fiery spirit that made him fall in love with her so long ago. And beneath the gentle forehead kisses and bear hugs, I could still see the flames flicker in her eyes every now and then.

"But I grew on her eventually. Charm can change everything."

"And the rest was fate really. Sometimes fate's got plans for you before you even realize what they are. You've just got to learn to accept the unexplainable if it feels right." She sent me a perceptive look as she placed our dinner in front of us. It felt like she knew about Sasuke without me even mentioning the teme. Sometimes, my mom's intuition was freaky.

Luckily, she left the topic alone and switched to ask about my day. Our dinner went well, and I cornered dad while mom was cleaning up the dinner mess. We had both offered to help clean up the clutter, but mom claimed we'd cause more problems than she needed. I easily blackmail—uh…_convinced _dad to agree to my tattoo after I promised not to get something extravagant. After I got the okay from dad, I quickly set my plan into action.

Big mistake.

**And that's the end of part one! I hope that you all enjoyed it, and part two will be coming out soon! So Naruto is getting a tattoo, and showing it to Sasuke. Seems pretty easy right? What could POSSIBLY go wrong? –cackles- …Uh…yeah…anyways, review and be on the lookout for the second half! See ya soon!**


	2. Possession

Hola everyone! Well, I finished up the last half of Tattoo, and I can't wait to see what you all think of it! I'm actually kind of sad that I'm finishing so much up now (like this and Therapy) but I'm happy I'll be able to start new projects. All reviews are answered at my deviantArt name, which all you have to do to get there is type in this (without the spaces) – navybluewings13 . devianart . com – and it'll be there! But, enough of my rambling, let's get the show on the road!

**Warning: ****If you put Sasuke, Naruto, and half nakedness together what do you get? Boy on boy action baby! **

**Disclaimer: ****In another universe, I own Naruto…then again, I also own the world**

Possession

Three days later, hours before Ino's party, I stared up at the parlor sign that read 'Roots Ink', purposely spelt with a 'k' instead of a 'c'. I looked down at the address that Ino gave me before looking up at the place, as if expecting it to disappear on me. A hard jab in my side brought me to the quick realization that my company was getting impatient.

"Come on idiot, I've got to pick up Hinata tonight and I've still got to get ready for the party." I rolled my eyes before looking over to Kiba, who was the only one without something to do. Ino had dragged both Shikamaru and Chouji into decorating, while Sakura ran around, picking up all of the food for the party. Hinata and Neji had a family affair to attend, leaving Kiba lonely and bored. As for the bastard, there was no way I was going to bring him.

"Keep your pants on dog-breath. It's not like Hinata wants to see your ugly face anyways." I grinned at him before quickly dodging his swipe and moving into the tattoo parlor. A blast from the air conditioning hit me as soon as I walked in, making me shiver. I glanced around the shop while a grumbling Kiba moved behind me, looking at the several pictures of successful tattoos done. Assuming it was Sai's work, I had to admit that he was skilled. Each tattoo was different in a unique way, but all were connected by something I couldn't explain. And each one reminded me of something that was tucked in the back of my head. Where had I seen this designing before?

"Hello." I nearly screamed at the voice, pivoting to see a man standing next to the wall on my right. I blinked once, almost mistaking him for Sasuke. But the odd way he smiled was something that I knew Sasuke would never do, especially when it came to me. Plus, his hair was way too straight to ever come from the duck-butt do Sasuke wore.

"Uh…hey. You're Sai, right?" I was slightly freaked out by the eerie smile that continued to grow at my question.

"And you're stupid."

"No, I'm Naru—what did you just call me?!" I felt my eye twitch when he casually walked by me, and I glared back after I heard Kiba laugh.

"How'd he know your middle name?"

"Shut it Kiba!" I huffed when my growl, which only increased Kiba's humor. Trying to ignore my 'friend', I dropped my signed consent form onto the glass counter before walking after the ghost boy. The whole time I muttered while trying to keep my anger in check. The last thing I needed to do was get ink poisoned by this creep. "Look buddy, my friend made an appointment with you a couple days ago. You know Ino, right?"

"Of course I do. I never forget a pretty face." By now he had led me to a room in the back, which was covered with more work. In the middle sat what looked like a dentist chair, which made me feel much more restless than before. Did Sasuke get this nervous when he got his tattoo? Swallowing weakly, I shook my head to try to forget the bastard while looking back to the all too happy tattoo artist.

"Look, I'm not really sure how all this tattoo stuff works, so—"

"Of course you wouldn't understand." He didn't look up from setting up some freaky looking instrument that I could only assume was the tattoo gun. "Even simple concepts need a brain to understand them."

"What the hell is your problem?! I don't even know you!" Instead of answering, I got a book thrown at me. I blinked once before looking down, seeing the words 'tattoo ideas' printed formally on the front.

"You don't know what you want yet. Pick something, and I'll determine if it suits your lanky figure." Lanky?! I worked out enough to break this guy in two. He was half my size! I glared over at him, knowing that I was slightly dramatizing the weight difference between us. What made it worse was that he was obviously taller than me.

"Where are you getting this tattoo anyways? Gonna copy Sasuke and get a matching one on your neck? It'd be pretty cute." It took all of my power to keep my blush down while sending a death glare over to Kiba.

"No I'm not. And I am not doing this for that bastard! I just decided to get damn tattoo, is that so friggen hard to believe?!"

"Suuuure. You just _decided _to get one right after Sasuke. And you just want to get it before the party where said Uchiha will be so you can happen to show it off." He scoffed and sent me a look that clearly stated the bullshit he smelt. "You're turning it into another lover's quarrel."

"Sasuke and his pathetic tattoo can kiss my ass," I muttered, glaring down at the book in front of me. It took me a minute to realize I didn't deny Kiba's second remark.

"Uchiha Sasuke's tattoo was not pathetic." I blinked once before I looked up at Sai, who now sat on a tall stool. "I doubt you even know how to spell that."

"Wait wait wait! You mean…_you _did Sasuke's tattoo?!" I decided to ignore the insult in order to focus on Sai's quiet nod. No wonder the artwork seemed so familiar; I had only seen it up close and personal before. Kiba whistled while I slowly sat on the dentist chair, slightly taken aback by the fact we were in the same spot that Sasuke was one week ago.

"I am an acquaintance of his brother." He paused to fiddle with the gun before continuing to speak. "Uzumaki Naruto, yes?"

"How the hell do you know my last name?" I knew that Ino hadn't used her name to set up the appointment, but she had claimed to only use my first name. How this creep knew my last name was not on my own accord.

"It was mentioned."

"Sasuke was talking about the idiot?" Kiba was oh so helpful. Was this 'insult Naruto as much as you can' day? Because really, they needed to send out a memo before they planned shit like that.

"Perhaps." This guy was really ticking me off. I would have snapped at him it not for the thick needle that sat perched at the end of the gun. He turned to face me, an odd glint in his eyes making me re-think the tattoo. "Are you ready, or would you prefer to hold your boyfriend's hand?"

"Whoa, don't lump me in with him and Sasuke. I quite enjoy boobs."

"He's not my boyfriend," I shouted, Sai seeming unaffected as he glanced down my body. Feeling slightly embarrassed at the obvious check-out, I spoke again. "A-and neither is Sasuke."

"Yet." Sai said it with a smile, which I knew now was just a façade. But before I could start another fight, he moved his stool to rest next to the chair. He glanced at the page I was on in the book before something I could only describe as wicked entered his gaze. "I know the perfect tattoo."

"What? How the hell did you figure it out that fast?"

"Are you ready?"

"And what does it look like? Let me see it!"

"Where would you like it?" He ignored me completely, and I sent a look to Kiba to show my pure frustration with the tattoo artist. Kiba couldn't seem to keep the smirk off his face at my misery.

"I like him." Was all he said. Debating which one to kill first, I sighed and started to pull my shirt off. Ino had said that Sai was a professional who could pick out tattoos just by looking at people. And looking at all of the awesome work he had done on other people on the walls and in his book, I knew that he wasn't going to make it look bad. I liked his style, his creativity, and everything else except his mouth. If he was mute, maybe I could have felt a little more secure than I did.

"I want it on the back of my shoulder, right over my shoulder blade." Kiba sent me an odd look that I ignored as I stared at Sai. "My right shoulder blade." I could have gone for somewhere cooler, like around my bicep or even on my calf. But the spot was important to me, even if I wouldn't admit it out loud. It was the first place anyone had intimately touched me, even if it was Sasuke. I was instructed to sit facing the opposite wall with my back facing Sai's stool, which would give him the perfect height to reach my shoulder blade. I didn't like that I was blind to what Sai was doing to my skin, but it would have been impossible from the position of the tattoo to see.

"You ready?"

"Aren't you supposed to ask if I'm old enough to do this? For all you know, I could be some twelve year old who just looks older than I am."

"It would explain your small dick." I nearly fell over at his offhanded insult.

"You…You don't even know what my dick looks like!"

"Is that an offer?"

"Wha—NO that's not an offer, you creepy pervert!"

"Has Sasuke seen it?" I nearly choked on my own air at the seemingly innocent question, sending my face into a flush.

"N-No!"

"Not yet, at least." And that one didn't even come from the damn freak.

"Will you stop saying stuff like that, Kiba? Me and Sasuke ar—"

"Age doesn't matter to me. You left your paperwork on the counter, yes?" How the hell did Sai know that? This guy just kept getting creepier by the second. "Good. Now try not to cry like a woman. You'll ruin your mascara."

The next two hours were pure hell. First, I had to deal with Kiba teasing me about Sai shaving the hair off of the back of my shoulder. Apparently, even bare skin had hairs that needed to be shaven, or else they would get in the way. I nearly cut myself when jerking after Sai's comment about how perfectly normal it was for a _girl _to shave. The bastard seemed to enjoy making me angry, because he continued to insult me while preparing his tools and the soon to be inked area. Then, once that was done, the torture began. It wasn't as painful as I expected it to be, but the stinging still made my tear ducks react much stronger than I wanted them to. I refused to cry, and thought about what Sasuke would say if he could see me now. Just thinking of his cocky smirk helped keep my cheeks dry, and I tried to focus on the conversation I was having with Kiba.

Halfway through my idiotic idea, Kiba got a call from Hinata. As luck would have it, Hinata needed Kiba's help. I couldn't hear most of the conversation, but I knew that Kiba was more than willing to go see his summer love before the party. I scoffed at his weak excuse, but I waved while he left. Figures the only person who could tell me how the tattoo really looked would bail on me. Losing my conversation partner (and wanting nothing to do with Sai), I couldn't keep my thoughts from switching over to Sasuke. I smiled at the thought of what Sasuke was going to think about my tattoo. Would he notice it was Sai's work? Would he remember the significance of the spot? Would he even care? He told me to 'impress' him, and yet I didn't even know what the design was. If Sai had chosen out Sasuke's tattoo as well, then I could only hope he would make them different. The last thing I wanted was the same tattoo.

I learned later on that there were worse things than that.

"Ah!" I hissed when a cold liquid was placed on the tattoo, and I glanced back to see Sai without his tattoo gun, but with a bottle of ointment.

"We're done, miss."

"For the last time, I'm a GUY!" He hummed and continued to dab the ointment on before starting to secure the same type of bandage that Sasuke had over my tattoo. It was only after he finished taping up the protective gauze that I realized something very important. "Hey wait! I didn't even get to see it!"

"You'll have to wait two hours to take off the bandage."

"But I want to see it." I moved to pull off the bandage, but Sai slapped my hand and smiled when I jerked back.

"If you remove it now, you'll ruin your tattoo. And you wouldn't wish to show Sasuke a blob, now would you?"

"…Fine."

"Good. If you are unable to figure out how to remove the sticky tape, I'll be at the party to assist you." I blinked once, repeating what he said in my head.

"Wait…she invited you to the party?"

"Very good, Naruto-kun." He patted my head like a dog before turning away from me, starting to pack up his tools while I gaped.

"Why the hell would she do that?!"

"To make up for your presence."

"…I shouldn't pay you." I shouldn't of let him live at all, but my shoulder was too sore at the moment to hit him. Instead, I settled for a simple glare while I pushed off of the chair and shoved my hand into my back pocket.

"It's free." I paused and blinked once before looking up at Sai, confused. All the guy did was insult me and harass me the entire two hours, and now he was giving me a free tattoo? What the hell was wrong with him?

"Why?"

"Because."

"…Because why?"

"I'll see you at the party, Naruto-kun." And before I even had time to ask him why the hell he wouldn't answer my question, I found myself out of the tattoo parlor and back onto the street. He didn't even give me time to get my shirt.

"You stupid jerk. You better hope that I don't see you at the damn party...But if I do, you better have my shirt!" Getting strange looks from the people in town as they walked past me, half naked and screaming my head off at a door, I quickly decided that yelling at him later would probably be a better idea. I wasted little time getting back to my house, which was thankfully empty. Mom and dad had gone out for dinner and a movie, just like two teenagers dating. See, told you they didn't act married.

Time flew while I prepared for the luau. By the time I got to the actual party, night had settled itself in the sky while the humidity of the day lingered. Tiki torches lit up the path to the backyard from the sliding door, and taking one step outside was like entering Hawaii. Well, what I thought it would be like anyways. Music was playing in the air while coconut cups were being passed around with god knows what in them. There were people in grass skirts and bikinis dancing, and I took a moment to appreciate the scene. But it was extremely short before a lei dropped over my head and forced me to stumble back into a set of giggles.

"About time you got here!" I turned to see the purple-bikini party host offering me a coconut drink. I grinned while shrugging.

"What type of party would it be if I didn't come fashionably late?" She laughed and shook her head before glancing around my body.

"So where is it? I want to see!"

"It's on my shoulder." I turned around for her, and I could practically hear the pout when she was met by my bandage. "I can't take it off until Sasuke gets here. I wanna see the teme's face when I show him it."

"I'm sure if Sai did it, it's gonna be great." I scoffed at the name and turned back to her.

"That guy is even more annoying than Sasuke, and I didn't think that was possible."

"He's someone that will grow on you eventually." We both turned our heads when Ino's name was called, and she waved at the newcomers before she turned back to me. "Well, I've got to go mingle. Go hang out with Shikamaru and keep him some company, will ya?"

"More like keep him awake." She laughed before weaving her way through the large dancing crowd. I decided to take the longer route and go around the dance floor, since I knew Shika would not be there. I quickly found him and Chouji sitting at one of the tables, Shikamaru practically sleeping (how he did that with all of this noise I wasn't sure) while Chouji munched away on Hawaiian pork. I slammed my hands down on the table, startling both of them. I could only chuckle when Chouji's pork dropped to the floor.

"Aw man, that was really good. Why'd you have to do that Naruto?"

"Think of it as helping you diet," I said, sitting next to Shikamaru. I glanced around the place casually, knowing I was searching for something specific. Or rather, someone. "Have you guys seen Sasuke?"

"Why, he forget to pick you up for your date?" Was it really that obvious that something was going on between me and Sasuke? If so, why the hell didn't Sasuke see it? And why was nobody surprised?

"For the last time, he ain't my boyfriend. You and Shikamaru came together and you're not dating!"

"Well duh, Shikamaru likes Ino," Chouji said, as if somehow that explained why me and Sasuke were different. He picked up another piece of pork and bit it before speaking. "And Sasuke was with Sakura last time I saw him."

"Thanks." I moved to get up, but one arched eyebrow from Shikamaru had me stop. Casually I sat back down, shrugging. "I'll go see him later."

I spent most of the night with everyone _but _Sasuke. Once I was done talking with Chouji and Shikamaru, I got pulled onto the dance floor with Sakura. We danced for a while, and then my attention was dragged into the house to help Ino grab some more food. After that, I got roped into holding the limbo pole with Neji, who seemed less than amused at the energetic party around him. But once his date, Tenten, finally arrived and swept the competition with her flexibility advantage, Neji seemed to lighten up. Apparently, dancing all summer paid off when it came to limbo. Finally, when I thought I was off the hook from everyone, I went looking for Sasuke again. It took two seconds to run straight into Kiba, Hinata, and Sasuke's evil twin. Well...eviler.

"Good evening Naruto-kun." I instantly glared at him, knowing his smile meant nothing good.

"Guess who I found a couple minutes ago? I was just introducing him to Hinata." Kiba seemed quite happy with himself, though I was guessing it was from the arm he had wrapped around the shy girl as opposed to finding Sai. Either way, I huffed and crossed my arms.

"Do you have my shirt? You made me forget it when you _shoved _me out of your tattoo place."

"How is your tattoo?" I was seriously getting annoyed with the way he ignored me. Following him with my gaze, I watched him move behind me and gently poke at the taping. "Very good. I'm impressed such a moronic person could listen to instructions."

"I'm going to drown you."

"That's not very lady-like." I jerked to slug him, but he wasn't there. Instead, my fist got caught by another dark haired, swimsuit wearing boy. The only difference was that this one didn't wear a shirt. My eyes widened as I stared up at Sasuke, who nonchalantly glanced to our hands before speaking.

"Any particular reason you're attacking me this time, dobe?" I snapped out of my surprise to try and pull my hand back, but he had a good hold on it.

"I wasn't trying to hit you, teme! I was trying to beat some sense into that pain in the ass. Now where the hell did he go?"

"Over here." Hearing him toward my right, I didn't bother to think of the consequences of turning toward him. Unfortunately, Sasuke was still holding onto my right hand, causing me to twist myself back into him. Unprepared for the contact, we both stumbled onto the ground. He caught himself with his other hand, but I heard him grunt when my ass fell into his lap. My arm now was twisted across my body while my back pressed to his chest, making it impossible to get off of him. I could hear Kiba laughing, probably from the awkward position or the flushed face I was sporting. Sasuke visibly stiffened underneath me, and I silently prayed for the ground to swallow me. When nothing happened, I glared up at Sai, who seemed quite pleased with his work. "I think I picked the perfect tattoo for you, Naruto-kun."

"What'd ya put on there, 'stupid'?" Kiba could barely speak through his laughter, which was seriously starting to irk me. Hinata gave me a sympathetic look before she moved over, helping me dislodge myself from Sasuke. I didn't dare look back at him when I opened my hand in his, pulling him up onto his feet. Once I knew he was steady, I quickly pulled back from the touch to look at Hinata.

"Are you okay?" She spoke quietly, which seemed to be a trend in the Hyuuga family. I nodded and smiled at her.

"Thanks a lot Hinata, you're a life saver." She blushed at the compliment and nervously pushed her hair behind her ear before moving back to stand with Kiba. Said boy had stopped laughing as soon as he realized Hinata was not amused by the fall. I smirked slightly before focusing my attention back onto Sasuke.

"Where have you been all night?"

"Around. Mainly looking for a particular dobe." Unwillingly, my heart skipped. Sasuke had wanted to find me? Feeling slightly swayed by the relaxed mood of the luau, I took a casual step toward him.

"Why?" I asked while Sasuke arched an eyebrow just as Shikamaru had done earlier. Maybe it was a genius thing.

"You told me you'd have your tattoo ready by tonight." Oh, yeah.

"And I do!"

"Then show it to me."

"I will! And it's gonna kick your tattoo's ass."

"Hn." He crossed his arms and glanced around as if he didn't even want to see it. Stupid cocky bastard. I couldn't wait to see his face when I showed him up.

"You two are very amusing to watch." I clenched both of my hands at my sides before I glared over at the instigator of the earlier fall. Some of my anger gave way to confusion when I saw a half wet cloth in his hand. When the hell did he get that? This guy was too sneaky for my comfort. "But you'll need to be more careful once we take your bandage off."

"Me?! You're the one who…you…just get the stupid bandage off of me!" I turned my back away from the others, speaking to distract myself from the slight sting of the tape. "You know, this whole 'tattoo' thing isn't that bad."

"Did it hurt?" I shook my head at Hinata's concerned question.

"Not too bad. It was more painful to listen to this asshole than the actual tattoo. My advice? Go to a mute tattoo artist." I felt the cloth against my slightly irritated skin, but the cool water felt nice. Soon after he pressed the dry side onto it, and after a second he pulled back.

"All set. You may show off your new tattoo, miss." So distracted by the idiot behind me, I didn't notice Hinata's gasp when I turned to glare at Sai.

"I am a guy damnit! If you call me a woman one more time I'll make su—"

"Naruto." I felt myself tense at my name. It wasn't what was said, but who said it. Slowly, I turned my head back to look at three very different expressions. The first one's mouth was partially open and her eyes showed just how shocked she was. The second couldn't seem to keep the grin off of his face and looked ready to crack into a flood of laughter. And the last one, the one who almost never used my name until tonight, was not smiling or gaping. His lips were pressed quietly together, his eyes not wavering as they stared at me. I could tell his body had tensed again, but his hands weren't clenched or ready to hit anything. Yet what truly set red flags up into my head was the barely visible pink that swelled in Sasuke's cheeks. Never, in the years that I had known Sasuke, had he blushed.

"Y-yeah?" The atmosphere made me stutter. I almost took a step closer to Sai when Sasuke started to move toward me. Instead, I stood my ground and suffered the shutter after he stopped behind me. Despite the slight pain I felt when he pressed his fingers against the tattoo; I couldn't help but hold my breath while Sasuke quietly studied it. Everyone was silent around us, as if waiting for Sasuke to speak. And when he did, I realized why.

"Is there a particular reason you have my name tattooed onto your shoulder?" Just like that, I felt my heart stop.

"Oh man! He really put Uchiha's name on your shoulder! That's so much better than stupid." Kiba's laughter now was uncontainable, but it almost sounded muffled in my head. I opened my mouth to ask what the hell they were talking about, but nothing came out. Instead, I turned my head back slowly to Sai, who didn't seem surprised by the accusation. In fact, he almost seemed proud. _Proud. _It made me realize how right Sasuke could be. I never saw the tattoo, and Sai had made sure I never got the chance to really ask about it. But why would Sai have done that? It wasn't like Sasuke was there with me! Sure Kiba had said some crap jokingly, but did Sai take it to heart? Not wanting to look back at Sasuke, I did the only thing I could think of. I shoved past Sai and ran straight through the tiki torches and into the hallway. I ran to the first mirror I could find, staring at the elaborate work that Sai had put into my tattoo. And, true to his word, Sasuke's name rested innocently against the tender skin of my shoulder.

This was _not _happening.

"And what does Sai have to do with this?" But, as you saw from our earlier conversation, it was. Despite the long flashback, I still found myself standing with Sasuke, pressed up against the wall. By how good my stomach burned from the warm contact of our skin, I was pretty sure it wasn't a dream.

"He...uh…he did the tattoo."

"I know that." He dropped his gaze from the mirror and back onto me, and I spared myself a heart failure by looking away. I didn't turn my head far before pale fingers caught my chin, immobilizing my head. I tensed for a minute, and he didn't wait for me to relax again to speak. "But Sai did not guess my name. We both know that."

"So Kiba said your name during it. It's not like dog-breath expected the prick to write your name on my fucking skin!" I tried to ignore my quickened breathing as I glared at him from the corners of my eyes.

"What did you say about me?" Getting sick of the interrogation, I smacked his hand off my chin and tried to push him off of me. I managed to get him to stumble a few steps back in surprise before his quick reflexes caught him. I ignored the slight tingle in my shoulder while I let the silence settle between us. He composed himself and straightened, as if I hadn't just shoved him. The slight bump in our conversation reminded me of something Sai said earlier.

"What about you, teme?"

"What about me?"

"I wasn't the only one talking! Sai figured out my last name because you were talking about me when you were getting your tattoo." He seemed to instantly dislike my knowledge, and a scowl marred his lips while I smirked. Feeling much more self-assured, I took a confident step toward him. "What did _you _say about _me_?"

"I didn't bring you up. Itachi did." Itachi? Why the hell would Sasuke's brother waste time talking about me? Sasuke answered the unspoken question. Even though I didn't force him to answer, he still seemed bothered by his own response. "My brother has…taken an interest in you."

"What? Itachi likes me?" I took a moment before I instantly scrunched my nose. "Ew! Itachi likes me!"

"Not that way, dobe."

"Oh phew! You scared me for a moment. I mean don't get me wrong, your brother's good looking and all but he's got those painted nails and the excessively long hair. And that black coat? I guess I can see why people think he's hot but he ain't no you—ah…" Shit! I didn't just say that. I didn't just admit that Sasuke was hotter than his brother or even hot to begin with. And I definitely didn't just imply that I saw Sasuke as something other than a bastard and my best friend. There was no way I could be that stupid, right?

"Hn." I got my answer to all of those answers when Sasuke pushed me against the wall. Yes, I was that stupid. I hissed at the pain that came with my shoulder rubbing against the wall, but he gave me no time to complain. My mouth became paralyzed the minute I caught his strong stare. But his wasn't. "So, dobe…you find me attractive?"

"No!" I gasped out, trying to think of something to block out the fuzziness that always slinked into my brain when Sasuke came that close to me. I could feel his quiet breathing against my sensitive skin, and I suddenly felt like a caged animal. Trying to get away from him I threw my fist out, but he was always quicker than me. After a second attempt with my left hand, I was left pinned back against the wall behind me. I contemplated kneeing him in the groin and running away to the hills of Tuscany, but I really didn't do well in high atmospheres. Plus, I didn't speak Tuscan…y…ish….yeah, whatever they spoke there. Remember, Sasuke plus me minus personal bubble equaled mushy brain.

"Running away?"

"As if!" Because I knew I'd never make it. But really he didn't have to know that. I felt his hands squeeze around my fists, and I realized this was the most intimate position we had been in since my room two months back. That _really _helped to keep my body from heating up. Desperate to find a way out of this situation, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I-I didn't mean me! I mea-meant…shit uh…the girls! And the…the guys that are into guys. Not me. Cause I'm not into guys. And if I was into guys, I wouldn't be into you. I mean really, you've got a duck-butt! And…uh…you're so pale. And a real bastard and I don't want a bastard to be my boyfriend. But why am I even implying that I'm into men…because I'm not! And I'm not into you."

There was a tense moment of silence that was easily broken by a scoff.

"That…was just stupid."

"Shut up!" I shouted, not liking how right I knew he was. From the burning in my cheeks, and how I couldn't even meet his gaze now, I knew just how obvious it was I was lying. I dug my nails into my palms, angry at myself for letting my emotions so easily slip away from me. My dad had always warned me that one day, I was going to shove my foot straight into my mouth before I even had time to realize what happened. I just never thought it was going to be with Sasuke, in an isolated hallway, with his name _tattooed _onto my body.

"Dobe." I closed my eyes at the hair that gently slid against my jaw while Sasuke leaned his forehead against the wall behind me. His warm breath was driving my nerves crazy, and I swallowed a slight whine to focus on what the bastard was planning. Would he humiliate me in front of everyone? Or would he just kill me and dump my body into some secret lake at the edge of town? Well, normally he preferred verbal over physical, so I had a chance of living. "Sai knows too much."

"Huh?" Really, _huh_? Just what the hell was he going on about? He just found out I was attracted to him and he wanted to talk about Sai? I opened my eyes slowly to stare at the ceiling above me, not willing to turn my head to face him yet. It felt strangely nice to feel Sasuke's body resting against mine, almost like he was holding me. I knew it was crazy to think like that, but a dying man is allowed to think strange things and get away with it.

"I said…" My jaw flexed instinctively when I felt a soft brush of his lips against the skin over my jawbone, and I knew my eyes were wide at the possessive tone that flashed through his facial features. "Sai…knows too much."

"Uh…about?" I swallowed to keep my throat from completely drying out. Seriously, did I turn up the thermostat when I hit the wall? Because there was no way I was imagining the heat between the quickly disappearing space separating our mouths.

"Me." His fingers travelled down from my quickly relaxing hands, and I felt my breath quicken when he brushed his thumbs against both of my wrist pulses. His anger was blended with a look that was sending straight shocks of electricity into my groin.

"You?"

"Yes." He studied me like I was a lab rat instead of his overheated best friend, and for a moment I thought he was finding the best way to kill me. But then, with a confident look, I felt Sasuke press into the inside of my thigh with something I knew was not there a few minutes ago.

"Te-Teme! What the hell is—"

"You impressed me. Though really, it was Sai that did all of the work." I should have yelled at him for continuing to bring that prick into our time. But his thigh brushed against my concealed arousal, and I hissed through my teeth at the pleasant feeling. There was no warning to the quiet kiss that was pressed to the side of my mouth, which completely threw me off guard. I parted my lips, and it wasn't until Sasuke pulled back from me that I realized he was waiting for me to speak.

"You…you like the tattoo?" I asked slowly, not entirely sure what to expect. Then again, if someone had told me that Uchiha Sasuke would have me pressed into a wall with a hard-on, I probably would have passed out from laughter. Suddenly, that idea did not sound quite as funny.

"It's my name on your body." We stared at each other quietly, me trying to put everything together while Sasuke watched. It shouldn't have taken me so long to realize that Sasuke had just semi-kissed me, and that maybe, just _maybe, _I was the dumb one for not realizing Sasuke had feelings too. I shouldn't have been so surprised to realize that Uchiha Sasuke's possessive nature was naturally turned on by his name branded onto me. Like I was now officially his property. And since Sai was friends with Itachi, another Uchiha, he knew what he was starting when he set his extremely evil plan into action. No wonder Itachi was 'interested' in me; even I had thought that Sasuke would be cranky and alone for the rest of his life. Knowing that someone, even if it was me, caught his interest must have been intriguing to the elder Uchiha. And maybe Itachi had been the Kiba in Sasuke's life, taunting him about his interest in his best friend. I would have laughed if I wasn't pissed over the idea of belonging to anyone. _Especially _Sasuke.

"You cocky bastard." I was now forced to mutter, Sasuke's smirking lips barely giving me room to speak. I still managed to scowl and glare up at him even while he rested his forehead against mine. To say I was flushed would be an understatement. I made fire hydrants look albino.

"Do you ever shut up?" If I hadn't before, Sasuke made sure my lips were too occupied to talk. I shivered against him before kissing back, eagerly pressing my tongue against his lips when he took too long. I always assumed that I would have to fight my way through anything with Sasuke. But it seemed like, for once, I didn't need to prove anything. Occasionally one of us would pull back from the kiss, out of breath or confidence. There was plenty of opportunity for insults and teasing. Still, I wasn't focusing on which one of us could hold our breaths better. And I was pretty sure that Sasuke had just about as much experience kissing as I did (which was none, for all you who were busting with curiosity). I just wanted to make sure Sasuke wasn't suffocating before I pressed my mouth back against his. He was like an addictive candy that I couldn't get enough of.

My heavy breathing bounced through the hallway when Sasuke's mouth slid against my throat, and I tried to pull my wrists from his grasp when his tongue darted past my pulse. After running for months from any touch that Sasuke gave me, I couldn't seem to press close enough to him now. I banged my head back against the wall when Sasuke's mouth sucked my sensitive skin. My back was arched, but my shoulder muscle was strained from trying to keep it away from the wall. The last thing I wanted to do was smudge Sasuke's name after finding out he liked it. I soon realized (at the same time that Sasuke's fingers discovered my shirtless chest) that there was no way I was staying bent like this for the entire night.

"Wa-wait." I moaned after he nipped along the tender skin, smoothing it over with his tongue. When he realized I was struggling much more than I had been, he silently looked up at me and waited for my breathing to catch up with my head. "We ca-can't…here…"

"Why not?" Damnit, how did he keep so calm? I felt like I had just run a marathon and Sasuke seemed like he had just watched. I swallowed weakly to keep my mouth wet while his eyes stared up at me. Was it the tiki light, or did he always look so demanding?

"We're in a hallway…_Ino's _hallway. And my tattoo…it can't keep hitting the wall." He seemed to mill over the reasoning while I took steady breaths to calm my racing heart. My eyes were transfixed when Sasuke brushed his lower lip with his tongue, and I was too aroused to realize it was unintentional. I leaned down, catching the thinking Uchiha off guard by pulling his tongue between my lips and sucking. He tensed, quickly looking to me while I pushed up to kiss him completely. I pulled my mouth back before he had a chance to respond, and smirked at the slight daze that coated Sasuke's eyes. Thankfully, my brain wasn't completely fogged up and I remembered something very helpful in Ino's house. "Guest room."

"Hn." But I could tell he was satisfied with my improvised plan.

He didn't seem to mind relinquishing his control to allow me to weave through the large house and away from the party. In no time I found familiar stairs that I had used to get to Ino's room, not once thinking they'd be used for another, much more pleasurable, reason. I could feel my nerves stirring up in my stomach as I stopped in front of the guest room door, knowing one push of my hand would open it for us. Still, I couldn't help but tremble and close my eyes at the thought. Part of me wanted to run as far away from Sasuke as I could. We hadn't talked about what this was or what it meant to our 'relationship'. For all I knew, Sasuke just wanted to have sex, and that tattoo was just a bonus. Somewhere, in the rational part of my head, I knew that wasn't it. Sasuke wouldn't do a casual fuck; it wasn't his style. But that part was buried, deep underneath the rest of my doubting thoughts.

I jumped slightly when I felt his slender fingers brush just under my tattoo. I closed my eyes tighter when he rested his lips against my shoulder, quietly sucking on the end of my neck before mumbling into my skin.

"It's not as hard as you think, dobe. Just twist the knob and push." I should have been angry that even aroused, Sasuke insulted me. But instead, I only flushed at the lack of acid in his voice. He wasn't doing it to offend. He was really trying to relax me, but he didn't know how without insults. Sasuke never knew how to comfort someone, because he normally never cared enough to try it. But this time, he did. And really, it was enough for me to nod and push the door open. I didn't hesitate in moving into the room, and I moaned at the heat that immediately burned my skin when Sasuke's fingers trailed down my stomach. My hips jolted and I could feel my cock stiffen again from the pleasure. My knees weakened when I felt the same fingers yank at my drawstring of my bathing suit, leaving the trunks barely hanging on my hips. I quickly turned to face him, and felt his hand slide into my hair a second before he placed a commanding kiss onto my mouth. The willingness to let me lead was gone the second we walked through the door, but it didn't stop me from trying.

His hands felt like fire as they scorched my sides while his mouth coaxed mine to respond. Unsure of which pleasure to focus on, I could only moan and grab his shoulders when his hand brushed my hardened nipple. My once comfortable shorts were becoming hot, but I refused to let Sasuke know how big of an affect he had on me. I slid my palms down his chest, and he quietly groaned into our kiss when I barely brushed over the front of his shorts. I smirked and pushed him toward the bed while I yanked at the string, getting frustrated when I realized he doubt knotted it. Then again, knowing the girls at the party I wasn't surprised at his security. I pushed him to sit on the bed, enjoying the height advantage as I stood over his thighs. Still, I didn't like the fact I had to pull my lips from his to look down at what I was doing. And by the way he leaned forward to punish my nipple with his teeth, I knew he didn't either.

I had barely managed to undo the knot when Sasuke pulled me closer, causing me to lose my balance. I fell into his lap and hissed when I felt our bodies press together. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I looked down at him to try and figure out why he had pulled me like that. A soft lick against my sensitive skin had me arching while digging my fingers into his shoulders. The pleasure almost hurt, and I pressed my hips into his to try and quell the ache. Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew my pride was rolling around in anger for letting Sasuke take control. Still, it wasn't enough to persuade me from moaning when his fingers crept over my exposed thigh and sunk underneath the loose bathing suit. His fingers felt like ice when they curled around my arousal, and I gasped at the touch.

The first few strokes were awkward and arousing at the same time. Then again, I would have been more bothered if Sasuke hadn't struggled. Touching yourself and touching someone else had to be a little bit different, since you couldn't feel it. The jerky motions reminded me that this wasn't something Sasuke did regularly, or _ever. _It made me realize how different this truly was, which only enhanced the awkwardness.But he easily tilted his wrist a little more toward me, and I was submerged in bliss. I struggled to keep my mouth quiet (surprise there), and I couldn't meet Sasuke's quiet gaze. Instead, I forced myself to breath and pressed my mouth against his neck, my noises vibrating the pale skin against my lips. He seemed unprepared, and I barely smirked when he groaned against my ear. My cockiness only lasted a second before I moaned, enjoying the swipe of his thumb against my slit.

"Off." Sasuke didn't mince words, and I felt his unoccupied hand pushing the back of my thigh up. I slowly pressed my knees onto the edge of the mattress, and nearly yelped at how he effortlessly swiveled us on the bed. I was stunned for a moment, my hands propped up behind me while Sasuke hovered between my thighs. We locked gazes again, and I felt myself shudder at the brewing lust that stormed in his features. His cheeks were more flushed than they were after any sport we'd played together, and his hot breathing set my nerves off. I shifted at the half-lidded stare that he pierced me with, but the movement caused me to wince. I relaxed my right arm, releasing any pressure on my shoulder. Maybe getting into this the same day I got my tattoo wasn't my brightest idea.

But Sasuke didn't agree. He seemed to notice my discomfort, and made an executive decision to alleviate my pain. My shorts were pulled down my legs without my consent, but any protest died in my throat when Sasuke's lips skimmed down my stomach. I arched into the touch, but Sasuke didn't apply any pressure while he ghosted my hips with his fingers. I chocked on a cry, barely thrusting my hips up before they were pressed down by one of his arms. Aggravated by the teasing, I tried to glare past my huffing chest and down at him.

"D-don't be a ba-bastard." He snorted quietly before dipping his lips down to encase the tender skin of my inner thigh between his lips. The spike of pleasure shot straight into my cock and I breathed through clenched teeth when he lazily slid his tongue closer to my central heat. My legs were quivering with the strain it took to keep from jerking up, but the last thing I needed was to knee him in the face. I felt his free hand wrap along the underside of my thigh, pulling it away from my other one. I barely had time to mentally question it before my elbow nearly buckled.

Jerking my head down, I could only moan when I felt Sasuke's mouth quietly slink down my straining member. Fuck, he was really doing it. I quivered at the strange feelings that bubbled just under the lust in my stomach. Sasuke flicked his gaze up at me when I cupped his cheek with my hand, my other arm barely able to hold me up. Still, I refused to let go while I panted, waiting for him to close his eyes and continue his ministrations on my sensitive skin. His mouth was hot, and I felt sweat forming along my back while I squirmed closer to it. He moved like he was made for my body, seeming to learn the pressure and speed that would easily send me toward the edge. I shook my head, trying to starve off my orgasm to enjoy feeling Sasuke around me.

But good things always come to an end (no pun intended). My muscles tensed, and I struggled to make words. In reality, it probably sounded like gibberish, but in my head it made sense. Either way, Sasuke ignored my incoherent talking and pulled away, making my body lurch forward in need. I gasped, my eyes shooting open when the biting feeling of incompletion filled my senses. By now, I had dropped to my elbow, too weak to hold myself up. I struggled to control my breathing, which I knew was impossible with the way my body was pulsing. I shifted my hips, hissing when my sensitive tip brushed against my stomach. Feeling a cooling air between my legs, I knew Sasuke had moved. For a panicking second, I thought he has decided just then that this was a mistake. And if he had, I would have killed him, boner and all, and then proceeded to drown myself in Ino's bathtub.

"Idiot." I heard his low voice next to the bed, and I tilted my head to see him leaning toward the head of the bed. When I realized he had propped the pillow against the headboard, I lazily blinked in hazy confusion. Really, it probably was because I was more concentrated on the naked hip that had just slid into view when Sasuke leaned back, his shorts dangerously clinging to his body. I tried to glare at the covering material, hoping to scare it enough to fall off. When lust seeped into my head, nothing needed to make sense. So when I saw the shorts starting to move down Sasuke's hips, my mind blocked out his helping hands and gave all the credit to my mind-control.

Any control, however, left me when I heard the shorts drop to the floor. My eyes widened at the site of pale skin that almost glowed. And I thought he was pale before? He lifted his leg onto the bed, covering the area of curiosity before I even got a chance to look. Instead, he spoke while moving toward the set-up he had made against the headboard.

"Come here." He glared back at me, but it easily lost its intimidation when it widened into shock. I don't think he expected to find me so close to him already, not needing a command to know what I wanted. My face was inches from his, and the loss of space made Sasuke fall back against the pillow. Or maybe that was from my hand sliding up his thigh, I didn't really care. All I knew was that I had never felt so curious, insecure, and _aroused _in my entire life. My fingers slid along his parted thighs, and I leaned between his knees to keep him from closing them. A part of me found it humorous that he was so fucking pale, except for a certain red part of his anatomy. But another, larger part of me found it shiver worthy. I looked up at him, grinning weakly when he sent me a glare. But really, the blush on his cheeks wasn't helping.

"You're hard." I was always good at stating the obvious. Seeing his mouth open to insult me, I decided I liked listening to him groan instead. So following the bastard's lead, I slipped my fingers up to wrap around his arousal and gave a confident stroke that rewarded me with a strangled groan. The noise went straight through my body, and I realized why Sasuke was so easily hard. Watching Sasuke close his eyes and rest his head against the headboard while his hips struggled to remain still was almost as arousing as feeling it. His lips barely parted when I rubbed my finger against the vein under his tip, silently encouraging me. I swiped the pre-cum down his shaft to make my palm glide easier. I noticed that Sasuke was much quieter than me, but it made the rare noises that slipped through his composure so much sweeter. And I wondered how many more I could get with my mouth.

Sasuke never gave me a chance. A hand shot out to slip behind my neck, pulling me toward his slightly more aggressive kiss. He didn't move my hand from stroking his cock, but his other hand pressed against the small of my back hard enough to make me straddle him again. The angle was hard on my wrist, but I ignored it while I swiped my tongue against his. Eyes I didn't remember closing shot open when the fingers on my back slid down, gliding along the curve of my ass. Suddenly flushing when I realized what he was implying, I pulled back from the kiss and glared at him.

"I'm not bottom." I was mildly surprised that I kept my voice as steady as I did while I spoke, but Sasuke wasn't impressed.

"Shut up, dobe."

"I can't be. I…uh…my shoulder!"

"What about it?" I sucked in a sharp breath when Sasuke's taunting lips captured my earlobe, reminding me all too easily of the havoc they could do somewhere else.

"Hah…I…I ca-can't…lay on it." Yup, there went my calm composure. But if you had Sasuke flicking his tongue against your ear, you'd lose your cool too.

"Hn." If he had a plan or not before he curled my toes with a hot breath into my ear, I wasn't sure. Since he set up the pillows, I guess it was possible. But after a few seconds of ear play, that stupid genius thought of a plan. "Find lube."

"Me?!" Hell, I could barely keep my eyes open when he sucked behind my ear. How did he even get there anyways? Sasuke's hand slid down my body to resume his earlier havoc on my cock, and I suddenly agreed with him. Lube was needed. And quite quickly. I scanned the room, eyes falling on the nightstand next to the bed. There _had _to be something in there. I shot out of Sasuke's grasp, ignoring the sensational burn I felt when our hips pressed together to yank open the first drawer. When nothing but dust entered my vision, I groaned and slammed it shut. Luckily, the second drawer dealt me a much better hand. I grabbed the substitute lube and pushed up onto my knees again, grinning while showing Sasuke my discovery.

"Suntan lotion." At the lack of interest in his voice, I nearly whined. This bastard got both of us overly worked up, and he was going to stop because of this?! A part of my insanity took hold of me when I realized that Sasuke could probably walk his aroused ass out of here. He was fine with self-control. Me, on the other hand, had no such thing. And the last thing I wanted to do was get so close to whatever _this _was, and then stop. So, shoving my pride down as far as I could, I caved.

"Not like it's going up your ass!" When I saw him arch an eyebrow, I made sure to clarify myself. "This time, anyways."

"Sure, dobe. Next time." The sarcasm was so thick in his voice I almost missed the promise of another time. Which meant Sasuke really didn't want this to stop tonight. That thought alone almost made my sacrifice worth it. Speaking of that…I moved to ask just how he planned to keep me off my back as the..._bottom_, but his mouth on mine distracted me again. Seriously, his tongue needed to be cloned for the better good of the world. It could probably stop world hunger and war. And I was fine with that, as long as I got to keep the original. Too caught up in the warmth that was Sasuke's mouth, I didn't realize Sasuke had even removed the bottle of my hand. Well, until I felt two frigid fingers sliding into my body. I instinctively tensed, then yanked back from the kiss. Of course the sharp movement backwards only pushed the fingers deeper inside of me. The pain was extremely unwelcomed, and I struggled to pull away from the intrusion. Of course the squirming didn't help the tearing feeling in my body, and I ended up pressing my forehead against his shoulder while raggedly whimpering.

"T-two? Really? F-fuck I hate you." I didn't expect an apology from him, because I don't think Sasuke had ever apologized for anything in his life. My body shook between the biting pain and pleasure that fought inside of my stomach. I barely lifted my head when I felt a quiet pressure against my temple, recognizing it almost instantly as Sasuke's lips. We both didn't speak, and I winced several times while my muscles tried to accept the invading fingers. Whenever I'd tense he'd stop moving, waiting for my slow relaxation to continue. The pain started to subside, but the embarrassment shot up when I realized exactly what Sasuke was doing. I could only hope this was a one-time feeling.

"Three." I felt the vibrations against my temple a few seconds before a third digit was added into the mix. For a moment I expected the same pain, and it was there without fail. But the feeling was fleeting, and gave way to a sensation that had my body tensing in a completely different way.

"Fuck!" I thought my back was going to snap when a burning sensation shot through my body, and I nearly whimpered when he pulled his fingers away from the nerves that caused the severe reaction. I didn't need to wait long for the toe-curling feeling, which Sasuke seemed to enjoy. I could feel his smirk against my temple, but my mouth was too occupied making incoherent sounds to insult him. My arms wound around his neck, gritting my teeth to finally stop myself from crying out anymore than I had. Not pleased with my lack of noise, Sasuke withdrew his fingers and smirked at my groan.

I shivered when he pulled me forward, brushing my chest against his before he rested his hands against my thighs. I swallowed weakly as I felt something shift underneath me, knowing instantly how much Sasuke enjoyed watching me squirm. Looking down at him, I know my curiosity was apparent. He squeezed my thighs silently, showing me exactly what he wanted from me. He was saying, literally, that the rest was in my hands. I took a slow breath to try and clear my head as I slid my hand behind me, knowing I had reached my destination when his breath hitched. For a few seconds, I explored the sensitive skin to watch the sharp movements of his chest before a glare told me to continue. I nodded, realizing that we were past the teasing stage. Realizing this was the real deal, that there was no turning back from this, I wanted to hesitate. But the small quiver that I felt underneath me when I brushed his body against mine pushed the idea of stopping out of my mind.

To say it stung would be an understatement. I could barely keep from crying out at the strong pain that first took over my mind. Wanting it to be over as fast as I could, I pressed myself completely against his body and nearly bit through my lip. He must have realized the same thing, because I found his mouth pressing mine open while he stroked my thighs. Though barely a consolation for the pain, I welcomed the distraction to try and lessen it. Quietly we kissed like the first time, hesitant but needy. This was a big step for us after all, and it was different than the others. It was something new; an intimate relationship. Adding the best guy friend factor into only enhanced the vulnerability that we didn't want to show each other. It was probably why I tried to ignore my low moan when he rocked his hips experimentally into mine, and he stayed silent despite the soft grip he had on my thighs.

If there was one thing that shouldn't have surprised me, it was the fact that it was nothing like porn. He didn't talk dirty or yank my hair, and he seemed satisfied with the one position. Sure, I was extremely vocal, but none of it was true sentences. Basically it sounded like I was losing my mind, which by the end, I was. Our rhythm was off at first, me moving too fast and completely missing why some guys _preferred _bottom. His hips jerked into me while I pressed myself up, making the thrust almost pointless. But my needy frustration made logic disappear. So finally, when one pale hand grabbed my hip tight enough to make me slow my pace, I nearly fell over at the sharp pleasure that came with Sasuke hitting deeply into me. Craving the feeling again, I eagerly pressed down while he shot his hips up, rewarding me with a brush of my prostate. I bucked at the feeling, and I felt myself constrict at the touch. The tightness affected Sasuke too, who quickly sped our movements up while keeping my rhythm on track. Now I saw why Sasuke seemed so impatient to hit my sensitive nerves. I swore when he reached a new jerky speed, and I pressed my hand onto his thigh to keep from falling over. Pleasure struck in my stomach like lightening, and you could tell how close my orgasm was by counting the seconds between each bolt of pleasure.

I felt my head get lead forward by Sasuke, and a mouth slid against mine hurriedly and without the finesse I had grown accustomed to with the Uchiha. His body was trembling, and I could feel it through our kiss. It took a moment for my hazy mind to realize that he was on the brink and holding back. In fact, it almost seemed like he was waiting for me. If that was true, I could tell he was getting impatient by the quick grasp of my arousal between our bodies. It didn't take much, the feelings of everything new completely overwhelming me. With a few hurried tugs, I was sent over the edge. The pleasure tensed my body and couldn't help but moan out Sasuke's name while he continued to coax my orgasm from me. Between the blinding sensations and finally falling back to earth, a quiet mumble of my name was pressed to my ear as the body underneath me tensed then shuddered. I was too lost to even notice if he pulled out or not.

The first thing I become aware of when I got a hold of me senses was that we had somehow managed to fall on our sides. Luckily it was my left, since I wasn't sure if my right could take any more of a beating. Sasuke was still resting inside me (well, guess I figured out that short term mystery) with his arm lazily draped over my waist. I couldn't make myself look up at him, silently wondering what was going through his mind. There was no way to deny we had sex. Hell, we were going to have problems denying the white spots on the sheets were anything _but _proof of sex. The real question was much harder to answer.

Where did we go next? Relationships were like ski slopes, really. You start at the bottom of the ski lift, and work your way up the long cable of steps. Occasionally you have technical difficulties and you get stuck, but stubbornness will eventually get you to the top. The top can give two very simple choices. You either take the plunge down the snowy hill and see if you can make it down alive, or you get back on the lift and go back to where you came from. Of course if you take that way, you never know what exactly was waiting for you at the bottom of the hill. This made the simple choices complicated.

Apparently, having sex turned me into Aristotle.

"Stop thinking, your brain isn't used to that." I could feel his lips moving against the top of my head, causing my cheeks to rush with color. He shifted, gripping my waist as he slowly pulled out. I wasn't sure what was worse; the soreness or the embarrassment. My body jerked slightly at the feeling, and I closed my eyes to try and pretend it didn't burn. Still, I knew I wasn't going to be moving for a couple minutes, which left me pressed against Sasuke's chest. We were both hot and sweaty, but it didn't seem to bother him. We stayed like that for what felt like forever, the only noise being the occasional shuffle of the sheets when he fidgeted. Finally, when I thought the silence was going to swallow us whole, I spoke.

"What the hell was that?"

"You're dumber than I thought."

"No no, I mean…I know what _that _was but uh….it's this-" to emphasis, I pressed my palm against my chest, feeling the quiet heartbeat underneath my skin. "…that I really don't get."

"Hn." I moved to pull my hand back, but Sasuke pressed his over my own before I could. The new intimacy felt strange and flipped in the pit of my stomach. I glanced up at him slowly, easily becoming anxious at the unreadable look in his features. "It's pretty simple, dobe."

"Simple? We just had sex in Ino's guest room and you call that simple?! There is no way that you're the genius here."

"You like me." He leaned closer to me, and I hesitantly accepted the proximity when I didn't hear any disgust in his voice. I watched his study my face as if trying to see if I had lied earlier. Because you know, everyone lets their best guy friend screw them when they don't really like them. I scowled at the analyzing, feeling more like a biology project than a sex partner. Finally, after finding what he was looking for, Sasuke spoke. "It can't be helped."

"What can't?"

"Us." I felt a slight wave of excitement run through my stomach when he quietly slinked his fingers between mine, pressing our hands closer to my heart.

"You mean…you mean we're…?" I could feel my heartbeat increasing, despite my lack of movement. I know he felt it too by the slight quirk of his lips.

"Don't ask stupid questions." His kiss answered for him. And then the next ten minutes of making out was just reinforcement in case missed the first silent admission. Eventually, we came back to the party with suspicious and accurate looks. Sasuke didn't seem bothered by it, and only tightened his grip around my waist. The rest of the night I spent trying to explain both the tattoo and where we had went for almost an hour. But really, the marks along both of our necks spoke much clearer than I did.

"His name on your shoulder? Troublesome." Shikamaru said dryly, taking a sip of his drink. He sent a quiet glance to Ino, who rested her head in her hand across from me. Chouji was busy getting more food, which left me with Shikamaru, Sasuke, and the pouting blonde.

"Well no wonder Sasuke never wanted to date me. I knew he was in blondes with blue eyes, I just never thought it'd be Naruto." I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Thanks, Ino."

"Well, I see you've enjoyed the tattoo." I mentally groaned as I glanced back at Sai, who looked just as pleased as ever. "I'm surprised you are able to walk, Naruto-kun."

"I _really _should hit you," I grumbled, glaring at him. It only seemed to brighten his smile before he turned his attention to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, make sure to tell your brother I said hi." They shared a quiet stare before Sasuke scoffed.

"Hn."

"So tell me Sai, how did you know that Sasuke was going to like Naruto's tattoo?" Ino asked slowly, continuing to glance at my shoulder in curiosity.

"All men are possessive by nature. Seeing their name on something, in this case Naruto's awkward body is a territory claim. It can make any man step forward, in my personal experience." My jaw dropped at the implication.

"You've done this before?! How do you still have your license?"

"Nobody has ever complained." When Ino said that Sai could read his clients, she wasn't kidding. For someone who seemed intimately constipated, he could pass as a match maker without even trying.

"Any men?" When Sai blinked, we both glanced over to Ino. "You said any men, right?"

"Yes." He nodded, and I suddenly was aware of the contemplating look Ino had on her face. Suddenly, she turned to face the daydreaming boy next to her. With a confidence only Yamanaka Ino would have, she smiled and spoke to Sai while keeping her gaze on Shikamaru's reaction.

"Hey Sai, I think I finally know what I want to get on my hip. You know, for that tattoo?"

"Of course. What is it?" For once, I wasn't the last one to realize what was going on. I could tell by the very light blush on her face what Ino was going to say. Shika, who was too busy staring up at the night sky, didn't notice until the words had slipped out of her mouth and started what should have begun one February day years ago.

"I'm thinking 'Nara'. What cha think, Shikamaru?"

And for once, the genius was stumped.

**FINISHED! Jesus, this chapter is longer than Ferris wheel! But I didn't want to break it into three parts, since Rachel would have killed me. Well, I hope that you liked it. I worked my little butt off to make it funny, cute, romantic, hot…all that good stuff! So review, let me know what cha think, and look out for three things. Therapy, a new poll in my profile, and my FIRST NaruSasu story EVER! Bye! Niki**


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